I’ve been busy.

You wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at me, because all the activity has been in my head, but trust me. I’ve been busy.

And, I’ve had quite a time of it, too … plotting and creating and worrying and dreaming and drawing and writing and conversing and arguing and… and… and…

…and, I am exhausted, but happy, and ready to share.

So, without further delay, here’s what I’ve been up to:

1) I developed and started handcrafting sterling silver necklaces called I AMuleTs. The idea for these pieces started poking at my brain almost a year ago when I was repeatedly annoyed by the multiple necklace chains I wore for good luck and positive energy; they wouldn’t stop tangling together.

Ok – stop it. I can already hear you saying “Positive energy? That’s kinda woo for a DOCTOR, isn’t it?”

Well, I suppose it could fall into a category of “woo”, but if you know me, or have ever been under my care, you’ve heard me say that western medicine doesn’t have all the answers, and that the road to health and wellness differs for everyone. What I might not have shared, however, is my belief that being healthy is an active endeavor that has to start at your core. Setting positive intentions for myself is one way that I work to stay healthy every day.

Anyway… back to my story…

I mused for a while on one of my more tangly necklaces (an evil eye charm that I found on vacation years ago) by repeatedly drawing evil eyes on napkins and paper scraps. After a while, I started substituting eyes in place of the letter “i” in words. I don’t know why, it just started happening, and it made me laugh every time I did it. This led to new doodles of the lowercase letter i with an eye in place of the dot, and THAT design tumbled over and over in my head until one day the design for I AMuleTs stormed into my brain. WHAT IF I took my eye-I doodle and put it at the start of an affirmation, I AM ________? AND, what if I combined THAT eye-I affirmation with a gemstone of similar meaning for extra oomph and energy? The idea didn’t completely make sense to my brain at the beginning, but my heart knew I was onto something, a something I wanted to explore and possibly create.

So, with my heart’s urging, my brain was off to the races. I checked out books on stones and crystals, and researched the healing properties of different gems. I took classes on metal stamping techniques and figured out how to turn my doodle into a workable and legible stamp. Finally, I pulled out my jeweler tools from the closet (I’ve made jewelry on and off for over 25 years) and played with my long-neglected treasure trove of findings and wire.

I have been the happiest I’ve been for … a long time.

To support my new expanding I AMuleT adventure, I undertook a few other things, too…

2) I started a business: Melissa C Mark, LLC. My focus is currently on growing I AMuleTs, but with my name as the company title, I’m not limited to only making necklaces; I can go in any creative direction I choose. Now, I’ll admit, I’m not a business person by trade, and I have no experience in this kind of entrepreneurship. But, so what? My business inexperience is only a liability if I say it is, and I’m not.

3) I opened an Etsy store! Right now I’m only offering the I AMuleTs I’ve already told you about, but I have other ideas rolling around in my head… so stay tuned!

4) I designed the website melissacmark.com as a landing page for links to my current creative endeavors: this blog, an Instagram page (#melissasdailyview), and my Etsy store. Bookmark the site and check in from time to time to see what I’m up to; I promise it’ll be something!

It all feels like such a whirlwind adventure, but if I’m honest, it’s taken a while; I started on this road in March 2017. There’s been so much to learn and do that the time has truly flown by. I’m sure that there’ll be a learning curve plateau in my future that will force me to slow down, but for now, my enthusiasm, energy, and crazy brain are on overdrive, and going strong.

That’s the backstory to where I am right now… a woman in transition. I think it’s a good place to be at the start of the new year, don’t you?

The Takeaway:

Lifelong learning is essential for personal growth, positive change, and (I would argue) happiness.

Any adventure can be yours if you choose it.